Search

A new Ministry for the Environment office opens in Oamaru on January 6, giving the community easy access to information and assistance on the Waitaki water allocation process, Environment Minister Marian Hobbs said today.

Marian Hobbs spoke about the Public Records Billto the people who will put the new law to the test when it is enacted.

New Zealand needs a record of what has gone before, it needs a reliable memory of its past if it is to have any sort of sensible future.

Records and archives have a vital role in supporting democracy and identity in all modern societies. Good record keeping ensures that citizens can hold their governments to account and is therefore an important part of the system of checks and balances on government power.

Accountability is a crucial component of democracy, and good recordkeeping is an integral tool of accountability.

The government says work is proceeding to decide how the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act 1996 can be amended to more appropriately reflect the Treaty of Waitangi relationship between Maori and the Crown.